


One Final Push

by Fadedmon2



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Dorian is the greatest girlfriend ever, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fade Dreams, Hurt/Comfort, Last Chance to Save Him, Past Romance, Self-Sacrifice, Starcrossed Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:58:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7727848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fadedmon2/pseuds/Fadedmon2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her army destroyed. Her options limited. Her final chance to save him.</p>
<p>A quick one-shot that I enjoyed writing. Comments welcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Final Push

“I need you to promise me something Dorian.” she picked at the fingers of her prosthesis  
“What aren’t you telling me Venessa?” he raised an eyebrow  
“Just promise me first Dor.” she placed her only hand on his face  
“Okay V. What do you want me to promise you?” he leaned into her palm  
“Promise me. No matter what happens. No matter how much you want to...if I can’t stop him...if he won’t listen...Promise me you will walk away.” she was shaking as a sob wracked through her tired body  
“I can’t promise that love.” he kissed her wrist  
“Please.” her voice was barely a whisper “For me Dor. If you love me, trust me, me falon.”  
He scowled at her unsure what to say or do. He furled his eyebrows thinking deeply. Then took her face gently in his hands and stared into her deep honey eyes.  
“I will walk away if that is what you wish Venessa.” she hiccupped as a tear fell from her sad eyes  
“Thank you.” she whispered  
“But I will fight until my last breath for you, until that day.” he kissed her forehead and hugged her tight.

Her army was a small one, if it could even be called an army. The few soldiers who remained loyal to her cause. Some recovering Templars. A handful of mages who were still vying for their freedom. People he didn’t know. Yet her army was only seventy-five strong. Bull had promised the help of the Qunari when it was time, but she couldn’t involve them. They had tried to kill him, and she couldn’t have that. And Dorian. Always Dorian. He refused to let her do this or anything alone. He stayed under the radar never drawing too much suspicion. Teventir was in shambles, since Solas had defeated them. That day she celebrated. That day she was joyous for the fall of those that subjugated her people for years. She mourned for the slaves who did not escape, but she knew that many had run to him. A compulsion that she was sure he had implanted in them all those years ago in Halamshiral.

She could hear the horses pawing at the ground restlessly. The soldiers speaking their prayers to their Gods. The mages practicing their spells. The whole camp was terrified, their spirits broken. She had prepared for almost two years, finding allies in anyone she could get ahold of. Leliana had grilled them, interrogating them for hours; making sure they weren’t his. But in a matter of moments, his forces had crushed her. The battle was bloody and she lost most of her men. She was backed against a wall.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then laid her head down and walked into the Fade. It didn’t take long to find him. He was standing infront of the Eluvian. She reached out to touch his shoulder.  
“Are you frightened vhenan?” his voice was calm collected, she smiled  
“Are you?”  
“I have waited ages for this my love.”  
“I know.”  
“I don’t want to fight you” he bowed his head and dropped his shoulders “but I will.”  
She touched his shoulder and he flinched  
“Ir abalas emma lath.” she stepped closer resting her forehead on his back.  
“I tried to find another way Venessa.” she could feel him shaking  
“Shhh.” she rubbed small soothing circles in his back “I know Solas.”  
“You will...die” he sobbed  
“I’m mortal my love, I was always going to die.” she kissed his back  
He turned to face her, his eyes wild and panicked. He grabbed her arms and held her searching her eyes for something.  
“Stop me my love. Stop me from doing this terrible thing.”  
“I will try Solas.” she kissed his wrist  
“I can’t lose you vhenan!” he cried  
“You never will.” she stood quickly on her toes and kissed his trembling lips  
For hours he clung to her and she to him. Both aware that this may be their last meeting in this special place of theirs. She kissed him over and over and he whispered ancient words in her ear. He danced with her, holding her close and trying to remember the scent of her hair. She pressed her ear to his chest, desperate to remember the beat of his heart. He showed her their happy memories, long past. She never wanted that moment to end. She wanted it to last an eternity...but their story never had a happy ending. She could feel her mind pulling her back to the waking world. She kissed him then drifted back to her body. When she woke she was crying.

“Madam Commander?” a small voice called from her tent entrance  
“Y...Yes.” she choked  
“Master Pavus would like to speak with you.”  
“Thank you.” she ran her shaking hand through her long red curls and sighed deeply.  
She pulled her hair back and plaited a quick loose braid then climbed out of her tent. Dorian was leaning against the war table, with a troubled look on his face. She wiped the moisture from her eyes and approached him.  
“You summoned me.” she attempted a smile, but it fell flat  
“We have a problem.” he stated far to serious for Dorian  
“What?”  
“Here” he pointed to the line of trees on the map “He is using very old magic V. Magic that I can’t combat. Magic these mages have never even heard of.” he pounded his fist on the table  
“Calm yourself me falon. All is not lost.”  
“Do the Dalish know of old magics then?” he smirked but it quickly fell  
“I know of many things Dor. He is not trying to keep us out. He is trying to keep you out.” she looked up into his coffee gaze.  
"Maker Venessa! You are not going in there alone!” he grabbed her arms and held her firm  
“You promised me Dor.” she placed her hand on his face gently as her own tears were falling  
“Don’t ask me to do this V.” he closed his eyes  
“He won’t hurt me Dorian, but he will hurt you...I won’t let that happen.” she pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket and placed it in his hand “Take this. Don’t open it until I am gone okay.” he looked away tears streaming down his face “Okay?”  
“Y...Yes.” he stammered looking back at her  
“The best thing that ever happened to me was meeting you me falon. I will never forget you.” she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.  
He whimpered and sobbed clutching her to his chest and kissing the top of her head.  
“I love you Venessa.” he cried trying to remember every line in her face, every scar on her body, every curl of her fiery hair.  
“I will stop this Dorian...I promise.” she smiled and moved out of his embrace  
She took one last look over her shoulder to see Dorian pounding the table with his fist.  
“Ir abalas me falon.” she whispered

Venessa stood in front of the tree line, staring at the glowing barrier. It was very ancient magic and very powerful. She knew what he was doing. She placed her palm on the barrier and willed her magic to push through. She could feel the surge as her magic pushed and his pushed back. She pushed harder. She could feel her body weaken. She could feel her mind weakening. She pushed even harder, until the barrier swallowed her and she stepped through.

Immediately she was apprehended by his sentinals. She fell to her knees, completely drained. She felt her body being lifted and cradled. Her vision blurred but she could hear them speaking in the ancient tongue. She was carried into a darker part of the forest then a bright blinding light filled her vision. She looked around. They were in the Crossroads.

She looked up into the yellow gaze of a familiar, but long forgotten face.  
“Abalas.” she whispered, her voice too weak  
“Hello da’len.” he smiled  
“I knew you weren’t gone.” she smiled  
“I found the wolf many years ago da’len.”  
She hugged his neck and closed her eyes smiling  
They stepped through another Eluvian and she saw a great winding staircase of crystal. It was breathtakingly beautiful. He carried her up the staircase to another Eluvian and stepped through.

Abalas set her on her feet and she wobbled but managed to stay upright. He helped her walk to the door then opened it. The place seemed familiar, like a far distant memory. He closed the door and she was alone. She walked slowly leaning against the crumbling stone.  
“Do you remember this place vhenan?” she could see him standing by a wall overlooking the mountainside  
She looked around and slowly memory of a scared Dalish First flooded her mind. An elf raised to the heights of Andraste and praised across the lands.  
“Skyhold.” she whispered amazed “how did I forget this place?” she asked confused  
“I made you forget. I needed you to forget so you would not seek me out...so you wouldn’t stop me.” he turned to face her.  
“Garas quenathra?” he focused his grey gaze on her  
“You know why emma lath.”  
“I don’t want to hurt you Venessa.”  
“I know.”  
She smiled taking one staggered step after another until she was standing in front of him. She reached for him and he closed his eyes. She could feel the pull of his magic. It sang to her. He was so much stronger now. She closed the distance falling into his chest. He closed his arms around her and she sobbed silently. Slowly she looked up into his face. His beautiful face. The face that haunted her memory for years. She could never forget his face. She pressed her ear to his chest and smiled when she heard his heart beating. The sweetest sound in all the realms. She felt his fingers on her chin and raised it to look at him. Slowly he leaned down to kiss her. Her breath ceased, just like the very first kiss. Her heart pounded and she stood up on her toes to close the distance. She poured herself into that kiss. She gave him the final piece of her. She was forever his.  
“I will save you.” she whispered

He held onto her as she wove her spell. She cried into his trembling kiss. She wove the fine threads holding dearly to him. Finally she pulled away. He looked into her sad eyes and wept. The Eluvian was thrumming with magic.  
“It’s time vhenan.” he turned from her and lifted his staff  
She closed her eyes willing herself to be strong. It would be over soon. She stepped closer to him pushing with her magic. He pushed back focused on destroying the Veil.  
She pushed harder inching closer. She felt blood running from her nose and her head was pounding. With one final push he stumbled, and with every last bit of her strength she pushed him into the Eluvian. She placed her weak hand on the liquid surface and it turned to glass in an instant. She placed the glyph on the surface then pushed her final mana into one last spell.

“Ir abalas emma lath. Ar...lath..ma.”  
With her final words she hurled a fire ball at the glyph. She closed her eyes as the glyph exploded. The Eluvian shattered and the earth crumbled as Skyhold fell. The explosion traveled back to where she had first entered the barrier. It was finally over. She lay in ash, but once again she had saved Thedas.

Dorian watched as the barrier fell and dropped his head sobbing. He shook with rage as he pulled the parchment from his pocket and read it.

My Dearest Dorian, 

Thank you for all the years that you were by my side. Thank you for believing in me when no one else did. Thank you for being me falon, my friend. Do not weep for my death. Celebrate my life. I will stop this, I promised you that much, but it is up to you, to rebuild. To make Thedas a beautiful thriving place again. Live my friend. Laugh and most importantly Love.

Love Always  
Venessa

Dorian crumbled the letter and cried, shaking with sorrow and sadness. “I will.”

**Author's Note:**

> “Garas quenathra?” - "Why have you come?/ Why are you here?"


End file.
